In-depth reviews

Volkswagen e-up! (2019-2022) review

The Volkswagen e-up! electric city car was given a mid-life nip-and-tuck in 2019, including a bigger battery that substantially improved its range

Overall rating

3.5 out of 5

Pros

  • Grown-up driving experience
  • Decent real-world range
  • Excellent visibility

Cons

  • Interior quality not the best
  • No infotainment system
  • Cable storage is poor
Car typeRangeWallbox charge timeRapid charge time
Electric159 miles5hrs 30mins (0-100%, 7.2kW)48mins (10-80%, 30kW)

Volkswagen now has a fairly comprehensive line-up of electric vehicles, but the e-up! was one of the first out of the gates back in 2014. Although the latest version of didn't change much externally from the original, the more energy-dense 36.8kWh battery introduced in 2019 was a significant improvement over the previous 18.7kWh one, boosting claimed range up to 159 miles.

While a 0-62mph time of 12 seconds doesn’t sound particularly impressive, the instant torque that the electric motor delivers means the e-up! feels much faster and more fun than you’d expect. For a car of its size, the e-up! is surprisingly spacious inside, but its spartan dashboard feels outdated, with just a basic smartphone cradle instead of a touchscreen infotainment setup.

As is the case with most Volkswagen models, you’ll find build quality is good, but rivals like the Honda e and MINI Electric offer a more upmarket feel and much more kit as standard. That said, those models do come at a far higher price and don’t offer any more practicality or space than the cleverly packaged e-up! does.

Along with its sister models the Skoda Citigo-e iV and SEAT Mii electric, the Volkswagen e-up! has now been discontinued, but any one of the three can make for a good-value secondhand electric-car choice if you're in the market. For a more detailed look at the Volkswagen e-up!, read on for the rest of our in-depth review...

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